Apple Watches are amazing tools to monitor several aspects of your health. Did you know that your hearing can affect your walking? Slower walking may mean that you need to have your hearing checked. Studies from a large contingent of Apple Watch users indicates a correlation between slower walking and hearing loss. People with hearing loss may experience levels of depression, loneliness, dementia and an increased risk of falls.
Some suggest that hearing loss is taxing on the brain and the result is a slower walking speed and gait. Since balance is part of the function of the inner ear, the slower speed reduces confidence since hearing our own footsteps is cue to what’s going on
Walking speed is part of an overall health indicator. Good speed, for your age, indicates that your system are working well including your heart, lungs, and muscles. Hearing may be a “sixth vital sign”. The other five are body temperature, blood pressure, respiration rate, oxygen level, and heart rate.
Apple offers a hearing test with the newer AirPods Pro (2nd or 3rd generation). Using an iPhone and the AirPods, one can take a hearing test and create an audiogram that can be shared with health professionals. If you carry your iPhone with you most of the time, it can track and display your walking speeds and steadiness on the Health App. The test results and walking speeds can be compared over one year before and after taking the hearing test. Compiling objective information can supplement research for public health.
If one notices a decline in walking speed and also discovers hearing loss, then it may be time to talk to your health care provider. A hearing aid may help important aspects of one’s health. Hearing aids my reduce the rate of cognitive decline and possibly reduce the risk of a fall. Taking the hearing tests establishes a baseline for future comparison.
With the proper version of an AirPods, you can pair it to your iPhone and take the test at home. First you’ll need to have a fit test which may require you to change the tips to get a good fit. Then you can take the test in a quiet space with no interruptions which only takes a few minutes. Annual tests are recommended.
The iPhone’s Health app offers data on walking speed and steadiness. Track your data for data for at least six months. If you notice a decline in either, then you discus it with your doctor.
Your iPhone can also warn you, via the Health App, if you have been exposed to loud noises for over 30 minutes. Too much exposure can negatively affect your hearing. I often get this notice after a cycling class where the music is loud so I wear ear plugs.
Apple watches also offer other health indicators such as heart rate and a serious condition call atrial fibrillation. Your sleep is tracked on your watch if you wear it while sleeping. You can see periods of REM sleep, Core Sleep, Deep Sleep and Wakefulness and indication of possible apnea. Consider the Apple watch at an Apple Store to see if it might be helpful to monitor your health.